Churros are a popular Mexican dessert food. A churro is a cylindrical pastry which is deep fried and typically covered with sugar and cinnamon. The dough from which churros are made is similar to, but somewhat heavier than, donut dough. Churros usually have a cross sectional shape which is fluted or star-shaped.
Churros have long been popular in Mexico and in southwestern parts of the United States. Mexican food is rapidly gaining popularity in other parts of the U.S. and it is expected that churros will also gain popularity throughout the country. As the demand for churros grows it would be desirable to have a method for making them which can be easily learned and used by anyone. It would also be desirable to have a method for making churros which will result in a high quality product even when used by someone with no prior experience making them.
Churros are usually made by placing the dough in a bag with a nozzle on one end. The bag is then squeezed to force the dough through the nozzle to extrude the churro dough. The nozzle can have a fluted shape so as to produce a churro with a fluted cross section. The size of the nozzle determines the cross sectional diameter of the churro.
There are many problems with current techniques for making churros. First of all, there is a problem with producing a churro of consistent size and weight. Churros made with current techniques often do not come out straight. If the pressure from squeezing the bag is not even then the dough will curve as it comes out of the nozzle and the churro will be circular or spiral in shape. This results in the waste of dough and time. Another problem with current methods for making churros is obtaining a consistent length.
A major problem of current methods for making churros is that they are not suitable for high volume production as might be desirable in a restaurant. It is very slow to squeeze churros through a bag as is presently done. Furthermore, many churros do not come out satisfactorily and must be discarded. This wastes time and contributes to the inefficiency of current methods. One solution that has been used for the problem of high volume production is to preform and freeze the churros and reheat them just before sale. This is not acceptable because it results in diminished quality and freshness.